Wall receptacle for water conduits of washing machines



Feb. 17, 1970 WALL RECEPTACLE FOR WATER CONDUITS OF WASHING MACHINES C. R. SUESS Filed March 8, 1967 INVENTOIL G HARLES ROBERT SUESS 2m( mmv/w ATTORNEY.

3,495,276. WALL RECEPTA-CLE FOR WATER CoNDUITs oF WASHING MACHINES A shallow pan-shaped receptacle of thin metal or plastic having outwardly sloping side and end walls terminating infllat anges and having a drain pipe accommodation opening in its bottom end and two water pipe accommodation openings in its top end.

My invention relates to a wall receptacle for the Water conduits of washing machines.

The general object of my invention is to provide a durable and eicient receptacle for permanent installation in the wall of a building to receive and house the terminal portions of water pipes to which the intake and discharge hose conduits of an automatic washing machine arelconnected.

In equipping a building for installation of an automatic washing machine, such as a clothes 1washer, it is common practice to extend hot and cold water supply pipes and a drain pipe out through the wall so that they are left protruding from the wall to thereby facilitate connection with these pipes of the hoses with which an automatic washing machine is equipped. This is objectionable because it necessitates positioning the washing machine a substantial distance outwardly from the wall with a resulting loss of otherwise useful space. To avoid this loss of space and get the machine closer to the wall, holes are frequently cut or left in the walls and the hot and cold water and drain pipes terminated in these holes within the boundaries of the walls. This also is objectionable because the holes form traps for dust and dirt and are of unsightly appearance if the washing machine is removed and because any leaks which occur in hoses or the devices connecting these hoses with the pipes can result in water being discharged in the wall. Also, leaving an open hole in a wall increases the fire hazard by making possible a draft of air upwardly through the fwall.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and efficient wall receptacle for permanent installationin a wall, which will effectively exclude water from the wall in the event of leakage, which is neat in appearance, easy to clean, easy for the plumber to extend the hot and cold water and drain pipes into, which makes it easy tov connect the hose conduits from a washing mach-ine to these pipes and which completely closes off the openingin the wall and thereby minimizes the fire hazard.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings FIGURE 1 is a view in front elevation of my wall receptacle.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation taken on broken line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation taken on broken line 3 3 of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a. sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken on broken line 4 4 of FIG. 1 and showing the receptacle in a wall.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on broken line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

United States Patent O FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, on a larger scale than the preceding gures, showing one type of gasket in a drain opening in the receptacle.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing an application of a conventional O-ring as a gasket between the receptacle and a pipe.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

It will be understood that the shape of this receptacle can be varied but for the purpose of illustration it is herein shown to be rectangular. Said receptacle comprises a flat bottom 10, two outwardly inclined side walls 11 and 12, two outwardly inclined end Walls 13 and 14 and an outwardly extending at marginal flange 15 on each of said walls 11, 12, 13 and 14. This receptacle is formed of thin, preferably non-corrosive material, such as galvanized sheet metal, aluminum or plastic. It can be of any desired length and is preferably of suitable Width to fit between two adjacent upright studding 16, FIG. 4, which can be the conventional two by four inch studding of a Wooden building or can be any other upright studding. The anges 15 can overlap wall surfacing 17 and can be secured to the wall surfacing and studding by nails or other means.

The inclined end wallY 14 at the bottom of the receptacle is provided with a suitable opening 18, FIG. 3, within which is a gasket 19 of elastic material. The gasket 19 is of washer shape with a circular central opening large enough to Ipermit a drain pipe 21, shown by dot and dash lines in FIG. 6, to pass through it. The gasket 19 is externally grooved to provide two spaced apart flanges 20 which t over and receive and preferably are cemented to the edge portions of the wall 14 around the opening 18. The opening in the elastic gasket 19 is at least slightly smaller than the drain pipe it accommodates and forms a water tight seal around said drain pipe. Usually the upper end of the drain pipe is left open and the end portion of the water outlet hose of the washing machine is merely inserted into said drain p1pe.

It is also possible to use a conventional O-ring 23, FIG. 7, as a sealing means between the receptacle and the pipes, such as drain pipe 21, which -pass through its walls. This is done by positioning and fitting the O-ring 23 as shown in said FIG. 7 and cementing it as least to the receptacle wall 14 and, if desired, to the pipe.

Two spaced apart holes within which gaskets 24 and 25 are disposed are provided in the uppermost end Wall 13 of the receptacle. These gaskets 24 and 25 are each similar to the previously described gaskets 19 except that they are of smaller size suitable to receive and maintain sealing contact with smaller hot and cold water supply pipes, one of 1which is shown by dot and dash lines v in FIG. 5 and numbered 26. Also O-rings of proper size may be used instead of gaskets 24 and 25 and applied in the same manner as the O-ring 23 shown in FIG. 7.

This receptacle is neat in appearance and when it is installed in a wall it avoids leaving an unsightly opening in the wall and allows all Water conduit connections to the washing machine to be made within rather than outwardly from the Wall thereby conserving space by making it possi-ble to place the washing machine substantially against the wall. Any leakage occurring in hose conduits or their connections with pipes will not damage the wall or parts below it but will be directed outwardly by the inclined side wall 14 of the receptacle and will usually be detected immediately. By closing the hole in the Wall this receptacle minimizes fire hazards, Also it helps to prevent an accumulation of dust and dirt in the wall and is easy to clean if the Washing machine is taken away.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention Patented Feb. 17, 1970 but it will be understood that changes in the same may be made within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

1. A wall receptacle for use in a wall having upright spaced apart studding to receive the water connections of an automatic washing machine, comprising a receptacle having a flat bottom; side and end walls extending outwardly from the margins of said flat bottom a distance approximately equal to the width of the wall studding, the side and end walls of said receptacle being outwardly flared and capable of directing water outwardly when said receptacle is placed upright in a wall of a building with a ared end wall of the receptacle lowermost; at least one water pipe accommodation opening in each end wall of said receptacle; a ring-shaped sealing gasket of elastic material disposed in a water pipe accommodation opening 4 in each end wall of said receptacle adapted to provide a water seal between the end Wall of the receptacle and aV water pipe when a Water pipe extends therethrough; and outwardly directed marginal flanges on at least some of the side and end Walls of said receptacle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 601,312 3/1898 Beall 4-134 2,819,926 1/1958 Wood 4-191 X 2,912,712 11/1959 Shamban et al. 16-2 2,930,505 3/1960 Meyer 4-185 X l LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner 

